Rhys
About Rhys
Perched almost entirely on the steep Santa Cruz Mountains, Rhys Vineyards has long been something of an insiders’ secret. Owner Kevin Harvey has been a champion of the Burgundian terroir-focused approach to viticulture in the region, crafting an extensive range of single-vineyard and single-plot cuvées, most of which we are delighted to present below.
Having made wine casually since 1995, Rhys itself was founded in 2001 to almost immediate critical acclaim with a careful selection of individual plots on the mountainside and very high-density plantings. Since the very beginning, Harvey’s focus has been Pinot Noir, but Chardonnay is a close second love and his passion for these varietals has garnered ardent praise from many, including one of the world’s most influential Burgundy-focused critics, Allen Meadows (Burghound).
“Owner Kevin Harvey and winemaker Jeff Brinkman have once again created some genuinely remarkable wines and in particular the Swan Terrance is nothing short of brilliant! Readers should be aware that the Rhys wines are clearly fashioned in a built-to-age style and thus are most assuredly not intended to show their best young. Thus I would suggest that if you're going to buy them do so with the intent to allow for at least a few years of bottle age”
Allen Meadows (Burghound)
Product Name | Region | Qty | Score | Price | |||||
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California | 2 | - | HK$4,720.00 | |||||
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California | 1 | - | HK$7,070.00 | |||||
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California | 1 | 96 (VN) | HK$7,000.00 | |||||
Vinous (96)The 2019 Chardonnay Horseshoe Vineyard is laced with the essence of crushed rocks, white pepper, orchard fruit, white flowers, chalk and mint. It is a bit less forthcoming than the Alpine Chardonnay. Saline notes build into the palate staining finish. This classically austere young Chardonnay just needs time in bottle. Tasted next to the Alpine, the Horseshoe has more mid-palate weight and feeling of phenolic intensity. The differences between the two are remarkable considering the sites are just 400 yards apart. The Horseshoe is planted on Monterey shale, while the soils at Alpine are Purisima, a formation that is about 8 million years younger. Such is the complexity of the Santa Cruz Mountains. |